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Illuzzi has been posting an occasional series of biting cartoons attacking County Executive candidate Jim Keane. They’re pretty facile, but this one frame made me do a double-take:

First off, I don’t think there’s any fairness in the allegation that Keane is affiliated with or a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so we can dispense with that little bit of defamation. But what really irked me was the “Uncle Tom Section” in the back.

One of the black individuals in that box says,

Ol’ James sure looks good in white, don’t he?

I mean, why not dress them up in full minstrel gear while you’re at it.

I like how Paul Clark’s banner ad on Illuzzi’s site calls him the “indepentent” democrat. Only Joe Illuzzi would allow such a misspelling. It looks like it says “incompetent” at first glance. Bad move.

More to the point, Mr. Illuzzi, that cartoon is the single most racist thing I’ve seen in years. Not what Keane did (or, if we’re being honest, actually didn’t do), but what YOU did.

Calling them Uncle Toms? Are you freaking kidding me? You’re gonna call a black man an Uncle Tom and then go call another man a racist? Seriously? What are you, from 1870’s Arkansas?

That’s. Not. Okay.

Governor George Wallace can’t believe how racist that was.

At least Jim Keane’s never robbed a bank. Can’t say that about Joe Illuzzi.

It’s always best to not allude to someone belonging to the Klan unless they openly admit their membership.

I’d find it hard to believe that there are any active Klan cells in WNY.

Less than 10 years ago Klan watch groups estimated the number of active Klansmen to be less than 5000 total in the nation. From over 10 million in the 1920’s, if the number was correct, it wouldn’t be worth mentioning.

Unfortunately, membership is again on the upswing. In NC the Klan was pretty much dead until late last year, fewer than 500 members according to Klan watchers for the Charlotte Observer. They have a new target now:
Illegal Immigrants, and NC’s full of them.

I’m sure anyone who wanted to denigrate this man could find things other than a nonexistant Klan membership to use. Perhaps his record as a member of the Buffalo political Machine for decades. It would be enough for me.

Just as pathetic as many nationally distributed political cartoons a couple of years back depicting the Secretary of State with big lips, and bubbles saying “i don’ know nuthin’ about birthin’ no babies”, and other such gross racial slurs.

Since I watched how Illuzzi treated Alan and other WNY Bloggers over time,
I NEVER bother to look at his site.